On politics in the Golden State

Schwarzenegger could see himself in Washington

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told The Times on Friday that he hadn’t had time to think about his next move. But he certainly sounded like someone with a job description in mind.

Gov.-elect Jerry Brown will be inaugurated in less than three weeks. Still, when Schwarzenegger was asked in a meeting with Times editors and editorial writers what he planned to do once his term ends, he initially said, "There’s no rush.... It’s not like I have something in my mind."

Then, asked if he would consider a post in the Obama administration, he said yes and began to riff on his credentials. "I’m a very big believer in environmental issues," said the governor, who considers legislation to combat global warming one of his major achievements in office. "I’ve traveled the world.... I’m very familiar with the world."

The governor went on to say that he would like to work on public policy issues in which he could have an impact "with my celebrity power, and also my knowledge and experience."

Once out of office, he said, he "has plans to go back to Washington with Secretary [George] Schultz and others" to push for a new approach to energy policy. He said the country needs to bring Democrats and Republicans together on energy policies that both sides can agree on in order to reduce dependence on foreign oil and become competitive, "rather than always talking about global warming, which turns some people off."

Schwarzenegger said he has credibility on that issue, and "people are very receptive when I talk about these things because I’m a Hummer driver … not a tree hugger."